Syllabus

What you need to know about this course

This course is about mathematical thinking, mathematical communication and proof-writing. Content is secondary, but includes the basic material you will need in future mathematics courses: sets, logic, functions and relations.

How the course will run

You will be assigned a study group (changing every three weeks), which you will meet with outside of class weekly. This is mandatory.

I run a very adaptive (read: sometimes upredictable) and very active-learning, participative, classroom. Students are active in their learning and supportive of one another. Participation is key.

I expect you to learn outside class. Much material will not be lectured, because in-class time is better used in other ways. The Boulder Faculty Assembly has made a motion (BFA-X-M-9-0105) that “An undergraduate student should expect to spend approximately 3 hours per week outside of class for each credit hour learned.” That’s 9 hours outside class each week.

There will be written quizzes most days.

Weekly schedule:

MONDAYS we will have badges (content) quizzes (15 minutes).

FRIDAYS are Solution Sharing Days — study groups will share their work with the class. We will also have proof quizzes (15 minutes).

We are learning skills, not material. The only path to mastery is practice (think sports or foreign languages), and this course is designed to provide a support system for copious practice. You will be challenged in many ways you’re not used to from previous math classes.

See the links in the header menu above for course goals and grading practices.